


bitter

by mywordsflyup



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alcohol, Cultural Differences, Dalish Elven Culture and Customs, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 08:11:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6147312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mywordsflyup/pseuds/mywordsflyup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Impressing her clan would probably work better if he could get up and walk in a straight line. As always with Cullen, it's not for a lack of trying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	bitter

**Author's Note:**

> For the tumblr prompt "things you said when you were drunk".

Cullen’s hand lands on her knee, heavy and warm and missing its mark by a palm’s width. “We should dance.”

 

“You don’t dance.” She does that thing with her mouth that he knows all too well by now. The little twitch when she tries not to laugh. Coincidentally it makes her look like she’s frowning, just a little bit. But he knows.

 

“I do,” he says and wills his hand to stay put. “I did. With you.”

 

“Once.” She turns her head and here in the shadows it’s almost something like a smile. “And that was different.”

 

“But you liked it.”

 

She shakes her head, but not in negation. Just exasperation. It’s another thing she does when she doesn’t want to laugh.

 

“We should dance,” he repeats and squeezes her knee. If he’s honest with himself, he’s not quite sure if he could force his legs and arms to move. To pull himself up. It seems a little bit much to ask, after tonight. He just knows that he feels the beat of the drums in his chest, travelling through his bones and tingling in his fingertips. He leans his head back against the large wheel of the aravel. “I’ll close my eyes. Just for a little while. But then…”

 

She lets herself laugh then, now that his eyes slide closed and his hand grows even heavier. It’s just a small sound, a little harsh exhale. He doesn’t have to open his eyes to know what she looks like then.

 

“I don’t think there’s going to be much more dancing for you tonight, vhenan.”

 

He tries to frown but his face feels strange and numb so he settles for a small disgruntled sound in the back of his throat. Even through closed eyes he can see the flickering shades in front of him. The light of the fire and shifting silhouettes of the dancers. Over the fiddles and drums he hears laughter and, somewhere in the distance, the booming voice of the Keeper - her story weaving through the music like a thread through a tapestry. If only he could keep his mind from going hazy, he would be able to follow it before it vanishes, before it loses itself in the bigger picture.

 

Cullen sighs and his hand slips from her knee, hitting the ground with a dull thump. Dry leaves of grass tickle his skin and he digs his fingers into the soft ground below. He remembers being cold when the sun set and darkness fell over the camp. She told him he didn’t have to take off his shoes but he insisted. He thought he’d feel silly as the only one in boots with her clan barefoot around him. Turns out he still felt silly, towering and stiff and so undeniably human - just with the added discomfort of cold feet.

 

But he’s flushed now, his collar too tight around his neck. He lifts a hand to pry it away from his skin but to no avail. From the corner of his eye he can see her watching him, just for a moment before she pushes away his hand with an impatient noise and unties the laces at his collar herself. Her fingers brushing his throat are cool and he has half a mind to catch them in his and kiss them. But she’s too quick and gone before the thought has fully formed in his head.

 

“I’m sorry,” he says instead because the words have been waiting on his tongue for the better part of an hour. He covers his face with one hand, if only to block out the flickering light of the fire. “Maker knows what your people must think of me now.”

 

He imagines it’s difficult not to notice the staggering of a drunk man when he’s easily a head taller than all of them.

 

“I imagine they’ll be quite pleased with themselves,” she says and he knows that tone of voice as well. He turns his head to see the frown that usually comes with it and his surroundings take a moment to catch up with the movement.

 

He closes his eyes against the nausea for a moment. “What do you mean?”

 

“They offered you tea?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And you drank it?”

 

“It’s only polite.” The taste is still in his mouth, bitter and mean and persistent.

 

She settles next to him, her body warm and solid against his. Gently she takes his hand and brushes away the dirt before lacing her fingers through his. “You’ll be sick before the end of the night,” she says, not entirely without pity.

 

He knows it’s true by the tight feeling in his stomach alone. “Will it offend them?”

 

He can feel her tense, just for a heartbeat. “You’re really concerned about that?”

 

“Of course.”

 

She squeezes his hand. “No, it won’t offend them. Not if you’re willing to continue drinking tomorrow night.” At his horrified groan, she leans into him a little more. “It’s a silly prank but they’ll respect you for it.” She turns her head and presses a kiss to his shoulder, which shouldn’t feel as reassuring as it does.

 

“I don’t care for this part of your culture,” he says, his tongue growing heavier by the second. “I’m sorry. I wanted to do it right.”

 

“You have. They would’ve given you a different kind of tea if you hadn’t.”

 

“I also think not wearing shoes is very unpractical. It’s _Harvestmere_.”

 

She laughs at that, an honest little sound barely muffled by the fabric of his shirt. “You can wear them tomorrow.”

 

“Will you dance with me then?”

 

She does what he could not - lifts his hand to her lips and kisses his knuckles softly. “If you can walk by then, I’ll teach you the steps.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can also follow my [tumblr](http://damnable-rogue.tumblr.com) if you're interested.


End file.
